How do you run? If you're like me, you've got music pumping in your ears and a fitness tracker counting every step. But does every run have to be the same? With all the motivational posts out there telling you to go further, harder and faster, slowing down may be the furthest thing from your mind. However, this past week, that's exactly what I did. I took in the brisk winter air and sunshine, walking through my village with just my mind for company. Instead of working on improving my pace, I worked on improving my mindfulness.
What exactly is mindfulness? Isn't it only for meditation?
According to mindful.org, mindfulness is simply "the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us." Based on this definition, mindfulness isn't something that need only take place when meditating. You can practice mindfulness by taking your attention away from distracting thoughts and bringing your attention instead to your surroundings. If you're walking outdoors, this may be on the crunch of gravel beneath your feet, the feel of the breeze on your face, or the sound of tree branches rustling.
A big part of mindfulness is to experience without judgment (Mindful, 2019). When you experience something during your walk, such as rain on your face or a particularly cold wind, try to accept what you're experiencing but don't label it as a negative or positive sensation. Just let it be what it is. I know, that's easier said than done. Actually, I lucked out during my walk since it was overall a pleasant day outside when I went. I may have to try again in different conditions to see if I'm able to suspend judgment then.
A similar idea to mindfulness is that of forest bathing (or shinrin-yoku in Japanese), which is when you connect with nature through all of your senses (Time, 2019). In forest bathing, you're meant to wander aimlessly, letting your body dictate where to go. Obviously, that's easier in an actual forest than in a city, where you're limited by sidewalks and traffic lights, but I think it's important to work as best we can with what we've got at hand.
So what's the benefit? Why do this? What's the point?
Research has shown that mindfulness may reduce stress by helping us better regulate our emotions (Ackerman, 2019). When you're being mindful, you're causing yourself to be in a state of relaxation, which is associated with increased immune function and lowered blood pressure, among other things. In regards to mental health, mindfulness has been considered a beneficial adjunct treatment for those individuals experiencing depression or depressive symptoms (Ackerman, 2019). Overall, mindfulness appears to have many potential benefits so what do we have to lose by trying it out?
On my mindfulness walk I left my phone at home but I brought my camera with me. You might be thinking that this provided an obvious distraction. Likely, but I used it in an attempt to focus on my surroundings by capturing what I was looking at as I walked. I didn't use my phone as a camera as I didn't want the distraction of editing and posting the photo immediately to Instagram. Instead, I used an instant camera and I found that the process of taking an instant photo a lot more engaging in the moment. I couldn't just delete what I had taken, so I had to focus on the light and shape of what I was trying to capture. While photography doesn't seem to be inherently mindful, I found that, for me, it added to the whole experience.
So this week, why not try swapping out one of your runs for a mindful walk instead? If you're still not certain how to go about doing so, or want a little guidance along the way, the app Headspace has several guided meditations that you can follow as you walk. And if you'd love to try mindfulness but want to keep up your current running pace, they have options for that as well. You can find them in the app store under the name Headspace: Guided Meditation or online at Headspace.com.
Have any comments, tips or suggestions? Let me know in the comments below. I'm always interested in learning more about fitness and wellness. :)
Sources:
Ackerman, C. (2019). The 23 Amazing Health Benefits of Mindfulness for Body and Brain (+ PDFs). [online] Positivepsychologyprogram.com. Available at: https://positivepsychologyprogram.com/benefits-of-mindfulness/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].
Headspace Inc. "Headspace: Guided Meditation." Apple App Store, Vers. 3.50.1 (2019).
Mindful. (2019). Getting Started with Mindfulness. [online] Available at: https://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].
Time. (2019). http://time.com. [online] Available at: http://time.com/5259602/japanese-forest-bathing/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2019].
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